


The Confrontation

by hermitpanda



Series: Coffee & Pie [10]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 13:22:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8626114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermitpanda/pseuds/hermitpanda
Summary: “I saw something really interesting this weekend. Originally, I wasn’t going to say anything. Just see if anything else interesting happened this week, but then I decided I had too many questions I wanted answered. Want to know what I saw?”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the first of three stories posted in quick succession. It's predictable, but I don't care. Enjoy :D  
> ~* HermitPanda *~
> 
> Tumblr: [The Hermit Village](http://hermit-panda.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or show. Just borrowing them.

“Anyone know where Hotch is?” Morgan shifted the stack of completed files he needed to give the Unit Chief.

 

“He and Reid were leaving for lunch when I came back from my own. That was about 10 minutes ago.” Prentiss glanced up from her own pile of files.

 

“They were going to lunch together?” He had planned to sit on what he had seen over the weekend for a few days, but if they were going for lunch together, he felt like he needed to get some answers.

 

She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Hotch even said ‘We’re going to lunch.’ They were talking about pie. That’s all I know.”

 

Morgan considered. If he had been profiling her, he would think she was definitely lying in that last statement. It sounded like she knew more than she was trying to let on. “I’m going to head to lunch myself then. I’ll be back in a while.” He took his pile of files back to his office and left them on the desk before leaving. He decided to try the diner two blocks over on the chance that it was where Hotch and Reid had gone. It was the only place in the nearby vicinity that had pie.

 

They were at the diner. He stood on the sidewalk for a moment watching them. They were sitting across from each other in a booth next to the front window, each with a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. To anyone who did not know the men, it would look like two friends, but Morgan saw the way they leaned ever so slightly towards each other. They were both laughing, genuinely laughing, and Morgan almost turned around and left them alone.

 

Almost.

 

He wanted answers, and he knew that he would not get any within the confines at Quantico where any of Strauss’ spies might overhear. He made his way inside and headed for the booth. “No, Spencer. I am not buying my son a bouncy castle for his birthday.” Aaron shook his head.

 

Spencer grinned at him. “I’ll buy it then. They can’t be that expensive. Do they make them big enough for adults? I’ll buy an adult-sized bouncy castle.”

 

“Spencer,” the older man laughed. “You would break something if you had a bouncy castle available, and I am not explaining that to an emergency room.”

 

“Budge over.” Morgan made his presence known and dropped into the seat next to Spencer. The laughter cut off immediately, and both men stiffened. They stared at each other across the table. He waved a waitress over and placed his lunch order.

 

“Morgan, now’s not a good time,” Reid tore his gaze away from the silent conversation he was having with Hotch.

 

Morgan shook his head. “I think you’re wrong. I think now’s a great time. I saw something really interesting this weekend. Originally, I wasn’t going to say anything. Just see if anything else interesting happened this week, but then I decided I had too many questions I wanted answered. Want to know what I saw?”

 

Hotch ran his tongue over his teeth. “I’m sure you’ll tell us anyways, so go ahead.”

 

“I saw my best friend, a man I thought was my brother, kissing and holding hands with another friend, who I thought was straight this whole time. And neither of them saw fit to tell me beforehand that something was going on.” He looked between them.

 

“Actually, sexuality is fluid for most people as evidenced by the Kinsey scale. It’s extremely rare for people to register a hard 0 or a hard 6. So your straight friend might not be so straight,” Reid stated.

 

Morgan watched him glance at Hotch with a tiny smile. The older man gave a barely perceptible nod. “Since when?”

 

“Since when what? You need to be specific if you want specific answers.” Hotch took a bite of pie.

 

“Since when are you two a thing?”

 

“About two months*.  We’re not ready to share it with the team yet. We could both lose our jobs if the wrong people find out.” Reid gave him a look.

 

Morgan raised his hands defensively. “I’m not going to go telling everyone at the office. I just want to know that my little brother isn’t going to get his heart ripped out and stomped on when my boss decides he’s done playing at being gay.”

 

Hotch growled in the back of his throat. “I’m not playing at anything. Just because I don’t make big announcements that ‘Hey, I found a man that I’m attracted to sexually,’ it doesn’t mean I’m playing at being gay. What do you want me to do? Go back to the office and announce to the rest of the team that sometimes there’s a man that I want?”

 

“No. Shit. Hotch, I don’t mean it like that,” he said quickly.

 

“Then what do you mean? Because it sounds to me like you believe this is just a game to me, that I would put my career and Spencer’s on the line just so that I could have some short-lived fun on a whim.” Hotch leaned over the table, staring at the man. “If you truly saw us on Saturday, then you know that Jack was with us. This is the first time since the divorce that I’ve dated someone that I have allowed around Jack, that I have wanted to have spend time with Jack. Do you honestly think I would expose my son to someone I was having some short-lived fun with?”

 

Morgan stared back at him. “I don’t want you to hurt Spencer if you decide that you don’t like guys anymore.”

 

“I’m not the only one emotionally invested in this relationship, Derek. Stop making it sound like I’m pining away in a one-sided relationship. Aaron’s got just as much on the line as I do, if not more, because he has Jack and will end up taking the brunt of any work fallout. I’m a big boy. I can pick my boyfriends for myself.” Reid’s voice was hard and angry.

 

“Spencer,” Hotch said gently before looking at Morgan. “Spencer realized that I was attracted to him, and after we talked about why I hadn’t made a move on him, he’s the one that made the first move. Not me. We’ve agreed to keep it completely away from work, even in the field. Because we’d both like to keep our jobs and because we don’t want to mess up the team dynamics. It might seem like there’s an emotional imbalance there, but you need to trust us.”

 

Morgan nodded. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

 

“Understood. Not happy about your approach but I understand,” Hotch said. Reid nodded after a moment and drank some coffee.

 

“So you were discussing bouncy castles?” Derek asked.

 

“Adult-sized bouncy castles. I think we should buy one. Seriously, Aaron, best idea ever,” Spencer leaned over and stole a bite of the other man’s pie.

 

“Thief!” Aaron hissed at him and retaliated by stealing a bite from Spencer’s. “And no, it’s not the best idea. Someone, probably you, will be injured. Plus there’s no way one would fit in my yard.”

 

“It would fit in Rossi’s! Come on. Pay our bill, and let’s go ask Rossi if we can have Jack’s birthday party at his place.” Spencer bounced in his seat and tried to push Derek out of the booth so he could stand up.

 

Aaron groaned but stood up. “We’ll see you back at the office,” he said before going to pay the bill.

 

Derek nodded and watched them argue over the bouncy castles. At the door, Spencer said something that had Aaron stepping out onto the sidewalk while the younger man returned to Derek. “Aaron paid for your lunch. And if you ever interrupt coffee and pie again, they’ll never find your body. I know several effective ways to dispose of corpses.” He smiled brightly. “See you at the office.”

**Author's Note:**

> *A/N: I messed up the timeline for this story accidently. Originally, Spencer answered they had been together a month but that doesn't work right. So I've made it two months.


End file.
